1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light controlling apparatus, a control unit of the light controlling apparatus, and a method of driving the light controlling apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of types have hitherto been implemented as a light controlling apparatus, and as one of the methods, a plug-in type light controlling apparatus in which, a single or a plurality of optical elements is displaced mutually inside and outside an optical path, by an electromagnet or a drive source other than the electromagnet, and optical characteristics of incident light which passes through the optical path are changed, is available. In this plug-in type light controlling apparatus, by forming a plurality of optical elements, it is possible to extend functions thereof. Furthermore, with achievement of high image quality of a small-size image pickup equipment such as a portable equipment and a micro videoscope having an image pickup function in recent years, regarding optical elements such as a lens, a diaphragm, and an optical filter, a focus lens, a variable diaphragm, and a variable characteristics filter have been increasingly sought to be used rather than the conventional fixed focus lens, fixed diaphragm, and fixed characteristics filter. As a light controlling apparatus which is appropriate for such small-size image pickup equipment, the abovementioned plug-in type light controlling apparatus, because of a simple structure, has been drawing attention as a light controlling apparatus which is appropriate for making the size small. As an example of such plug-in type light controlling apparatus which is appropriate for making the size small, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-330314, a light controlling apparatus which includes a plurality of light shielding members which control an amount of light, a plurality of driving means which drive the plurality of light shielding members respectively by acquiring an electromagnetic driving force, and a base member on which, the plurality of light shielding members and the plurality of driving means are installed, and in which, the small-sizing and stable drive of the apparatus are realized by providing an inhibiting member which inhibits an inflow of leakage flux into an intermediate portion of the plurality of driving means has been disclosed.
However, in a case of driving stably the plurality of optical elements (the light shielding members in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-330314), a point that as to how to drive each optical element in coordination while facilitating stability by a structure of the light controlling apparatus becomes significant. This is because, since each optical element is in contact with the other optical element, or there is a possibility that each optical element makes a contact with the other optical element, or an operation of one optical element has an effect on the other optical element, or interferes with the other optical element, and due to the effector the interference between these optical elements, an operation of the light controlling apparatus might become unstable. Regarding this point, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-330314, an operation of each light shielding member has not been mentioned in detail.